Call me cynical but I placed my dinner order at 3pm in case it flopped so that I would have time to figure something else out. But L’Orientale nailed it! And yes, we totally caved to the scent of roasted chicken and had dinner crazy early.

I’ve ordered from L’Orientale before (and it was very good, but we only had Lebanese mezze from their menu), but it’s been a long time so when my friend mentioned it was their go-to for delivery, I thought we should try it again. I was feeling inspired to, uh, NOT be in my kitchen today.🙂

If you’ve lived in Dakar for a while, you’ll understand why these factors, in addition to great food, have me sold on L’Orientale:
– Someone actually answered the phone on Sunday afternoon.
– They still had my address stored in their system.
– The driver called to confirm the address and ask a question about the best route, but called just that ONE time and made it all the way to our door quickly and without calling again (and again…and beeping me ‘Orangewoma’ style because he was out of credit…).
– The meal arrived hot and freshly put together (I know a soggy chawarma when I eat one) but bagged separately from the cold salads.

I will definitely keep this delicious bird in mind for our small Thanksgiving meal!

We ordered a brick-oven roasted whole chicken which came with a small tray of pickles, cabbage salad and fresh tomatoes, a large tub of garlic sauce, pita bread and some really yummy fries, fattouche salad with fried pita breads, taboulé salad and a chawarma. (The chawarma was for my husband, who is attempting to locate the absolute best one in Dakar. This one was definitely a contender! Send me your recommendations, please.)

If you’re like us and are always looking for a delivery meal option that isn’t just meat + rice/fries/starch, you should know that the chicken and two salads would be more than enough for four people and all three were excellent. Very flavorful, loaded with fresh vegetables but not buried in heavy dressings or salt.

Sidetone: I would have ordered the hummus and moutabal (baba ghanouj) as well, since I remembered how good they were from last time, but I now keep a stock of both from Shady Shack in my fridge. #liveandlearn #livewell #passthepita

L’Orientale Boulangerie
Tel: 33 823 79 29
Find them on Facebook.

Mark your calendars then head to Le Ngor  restaurant in Almadies on October 1st, 9am to 4pm. Bring your shopping list, an adventuresome spirit to try new things and reusable shopping bags. (Or you can buy very nice ones there!) 

Wondering which vendors will help kick off the new season? They have a great line up so far. Here’s the list – and it’s growing! See their Facebook page or website for updates.

Afro & Nature
Espace Maam Samba Dakar
Le Sucre-rit
iMADI
Delize di Maite
Etounature
Carapiles
Little Sun Sénégal
The Beer-Sheba Project
Faso Nature Farmer’s market
BUUR Patriote
Savonnerie Francisco
Nyara
Le Club Dolima
Marie’s Kitchen & Veronique’s Peanut Butter
Les douceurs des Taties
Sunu Tool
Esteval
MELO Patisserie
Deline’s Gift
Liqueur de Warang
Diankh & COCO
Wellness
Taaru Askan Farm
Zena Exotic Fruits SA
ImagiNation Afrika
Made In Sénégal
Marché ASD Dakar ENDA
La Boucherie Nouvelle
MobiGauffres
Milmais
SENAR Les Délices Lysa
Mangado
Adaa Ada
Torrefaction COR Coumba
Passion et Gourmandise Madagascar
Amalion
Abracadabra Magic Food
Femezon
Natural Addict World
ASIMA Nature
Les essentiels de Helene
SOAGRO- WELI
Les Délices de la Mer
Bellawa
ADORE You : Des cheveux longs et naturels
L’Equilibre Traiteur Ngor Dakar
Chez AlphaBooks
YAMI
Khandja Kalabash Catering
Vin du Sahel Winery

The Dakar Farmers Market is a fresh, lively ocean-side event that pops up on the 1st Saturday of every month (Oct 2016-May 2017). They promote buying local and community wellness by bringing together over 70 vendors offering a wide range of high quality food products and natural cosmetics. This event has become a go-to meet-up spot for families, friends and colleagues from all over Dakar.

The options for a meal on the road up to Saint-Louis from Dakar are a bit limited, but there’s good news! Valerie, an expat in Saint-Louis shares her two-thumbs-up recommendation for Tefess Gui in Tivaouane, about halfway time-wise so makes a great pit stop for hungry travelers on this route.

Pizza is a good thin crust and they use real Mozzarella. Prices are good too. 

The burgers are a good Senegalese style hamburger with gigantic bun, spicy beef, fried… If you like this kind of burger, you’ll be very happy. But don’t order it expecting and American-style burger. 

I’ve heard charwmas are excellent too, but haven’t tested them myself.

The Pâtisserie next door is great too. Everything is huge though, so plan to share!

Tefess Gui de Tivaouane
Tel: 33 955 45 45

Finding good vegetarian and vegan options is always a popular topic with Dakar Eats readers! Here is the latest info from restaurants and tips from vegetarian friends in Dakar. Please let us know if you have any others to add!

Tips and tricks from Polly, our resident vegetarian expert
“Dakar has some great options right now! Most of the time I just tell a server that I’m vegetarian and they’ll adjust a dish for me. Only a handful of places don’t have any good options, but here are some of my favorites:

• Bayékou usually has a great vegetarian ravioli or sometimes he’ll make just a great plain pasta.
• Mami Mia has my go-to veggie sandwich: Grilled zucchini and eggplant with a pesto sauce on a baguette.
• Le Jardin Thaïlandais in Point E will do any of their dishes with tofu!
• My Way has some of the best hummus (Shady’s is still the best!) and cold salads.
• Noflaye Beach will do most of their crêpes without meat.
• Daky Sushi has some great California rolls.
• YumYum‘s goat cheese and honey pizza is fantastic but their veggie pizza is a close second!
• Annapurna or any of the Indian restaurants always have great options.
• Marina Bay doesn’t really have any specific vegetarian options on the menu, however the last two times I’ve been I’ve told the waiter and he brought back a couple options from the chef. They were super accommodating and the food was great!
• And…coming soon on the beach next to Sharky’s will be an “American” style breakfast and sandwich place and they promise they are going to have several great veggie options! They are supposed to open in September. Fingers crossed!”

Vegetarian menu options from Le Ngor: Aux Pieds Dans L’Eau in Almadies

Appetizers: Nems au soja, Indian Samosas and Three-cheese salad

Entrées: Paella with peppers, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, peas and corn, Indian-spiced rice with pineapple and cashews, Moroccan Tajine with tomatoes, olives, lemon and almonds, and Thieboudjene (hold the ‘jene‘!) with manioc, sweet potatoes, bitter eggplant, okra, tamarind…)

Abracadabra Magic Food!

Senegal´s first vegetarian & vegan restaurant offers lunch delivery, markets, pop-up, private events, cultural soirees & food tours (which I need to sign up for asap!). They serve vibrant meals, drinks and desserts made with largely local ingredients, influenced mostly by West African, Sri Lankan, Thai and American cuisine.

Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or their regularly updated website to find out what’s new… Sneak preview: there will be something new and very cool, very soon.

Vegetarian menu options from Shady Shack

Sandwiches:
Veggie Mushroom Wrap: Grilled Onions, Peppers, Mushrooms, Swiss Cheese, Mayo
Foul Wrap (Fava Beans, Parsley, Onion, Mint Leaves, Tomatoes, Olive Oil
Feta Cheese Wrap: Mint Leaves, Tomatoes, Olives, Olive Oil
Baba Ghanouj Wrap: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Mint Leaves, Olive Oil
Hummus Wrap: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Mint Leaves, Olive Oil
Falafel Wrap: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Parsley, Pickles, Tahini Sauce
Cheese Panini
Falafel Burger: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Parsley, Pickles, Tahini Sauce

Dishes:
Hummus and Pita
Baba Ghanouj and Pita
Foul (Fava Beans) Plate served with veggies and Tahini Sauce
Taboule Salad
Fatouch Salad
French Fries
Cheese Fries

Catering:
Stuffed Vine Leaves
Spicy Potatoes
Potato Salad
Guacamole and Chips
Salas (Pico de Gallo) and Chips
Eggplant Parmesan
Moussaka
Lasagna
Cauliflower Gratin

On the road: Total Station
A tip from a reader... “The Total station off the autoroute leaving Dakar makes a grilled veggie and cheese sandwich that is great! But it is the only Total station that makes this sandwich. The others will try to be accommodating though by using whatever ingredients from thieboudieune and other sandwiches on their menu.”

Vegetarian options from Simone Café in Mermoz

• Vegetarian quiche
• Empanadas (hearts of palm)
• Risoles (hearts of palm)
• Brazilian cheese bread (manioc flour)
• Pastel (cheese)

(And um, their AMAZING desserts would qualify too. 😉)

In Point E…

Le Colorado offers several vegetarian dishes as well as a couple vegan offerings. Mr. Ferradini and his staff are happy to accommodate and propose options. Tel 33 824 42 80. Find them at Rue S.Louis x Rue de Kaolack.

Dakar lost some amazing wings last year when Prim left, so this looks like great news! Get your order in (don’t forget an apple pie) and us know what you think.

Abracadabra’s back from summer break, and they have a surprise for you…
Sno-Cones!

Hawaiian shaved ice with local syrups.

Frosty. Sweet. Bégué.

Follow them on Facebook or check their website for updates on where you can cool off with Granité glacé d’Hawaii. 

PS. Want them on your beach? Just let them know!

Reposting in honor of the upcoming school rentrée!

We spent the summer in the US and among the many (many!) things that I noticed were different ‘back home’ from life in Dakar was the diversity and ease of snacks for kids. I loved it.

While we don’t have as many single-serving, grab-and-go options here in Senegal, there are some good, healthy treats available – although they may take a bit more planning and effort… and $$.

  
Here are a few ideas from our kitchen. Please share yours in the comments!

1. Tortilla + peanut butter
2. Tortilla + Laughing Cow cheese
3. Tortilla + hummus
4. Tortilla + shredded Gouda or mozzarella, heated to make a quesadilla
5. English muffin + peanut butter + honey
6. English muffin + Laughing Cow cheese
7. English muffin + Laughing Cow cheese + jam
8. English muffin + salami or ham + cheese
9. Cheese sticks (made by cutting mozzarella from CDA)
10. Wedges of Laughing Cow cheese
11. Babybel cheese
12. Cucumber slices + Laughing Cow cheese
13. Pear slices + Gouda slices
14. Banana + peanut butter
15. Apple slices + peanut butter
16. Carrot sticks + hummus
17. Pita triangles + hummus 
18. Dried apricots
19. Dried prunes (may have pits)
20. Dried mango
21. Dried banana chips
22. Dried coconut pieces
23. Raisins 
24. Sandwich bread + yogurt (either as a dip or spread on the bread)
25. Hard-boiled egg
26. Popcorn
27. Lait caillé, plain or with chopped fruit stirred in
28. Pretzel sticks
29. Rice cakes 
30. Digestive biscuits, plain or with chocolate
31. Grapes (seedless available)
32. Clementines or mandarins
33. Plums
34. Cherry tomatoes
35. Melon slices
36. Tamarind pods (have seeds)
37. Crêpes, plain or with jam
38. Frozen fruit smoothies
39. Frozen yogurt cup + spoon
40. Frozen seedless grapes
41. Frozen pineapple chunks
42. Frozen mango chunks
43. Frozen peas, thawed (I know. But my kids love them.)
44. Slice of salami or ham rolled around cheese
45. Leftover pizza margarita (order an extra just for this reason!)
46. No sugar added applesauce cups (Hypermarché or CityDia)
47. Trail mix: peanuts, raisins, dried coconut pieces, cereal…
48. Veronique’s peanut brittle
49. Granola bars (ingredients easily available)
50. Rolled energy bites (oats, peanut butter, dried coconut, cocoa…) 

Snack tips for Dakar

Ziploc baggies are available at the American Food Store, as a variety of US snacks such as Goldfish, raisin boxes, etc… 

Marie’s Kitchen makes and delivers THE BEST tortillas and English muffins. She can also make whole wheat banana bread or apple bread. 

Veronique’s peanut butter and brittle are amazing. And she delivers too. (Following recommendations of Senegalese friends and based on a few experiences, we don’t give our kids peanuts or cashews sold on the street. But we love Veronique’s peanut goodies!)

Shady Shack hummus freezes great. Order in bulk and stock up. 

Use the plastic ‘bissap baggies’ from your local buutik to freeze single servings of fruit.